Hidden Memories ON HOLD!
by XvXChaosMagicianGirlXvX
Summary: This story takes place after the battle city finals. At the party to celebrate the Battle City Dueling King a strange occurrence takes place. A chain reaction between all the millennium items in the room results in the rebirth and release of Mana's soul.
1. Hidden Memories

**Note: **

**All three chapters of this story have been revised, and reposted. There haven't been any significant changes. Grammar and spelling wise things have been corrected. Certain elements of the story plot have been removed, or re written. Other parts have been added, because I felt the need to do so. But, really, there have only been small changes, detail wise and with other stuff. Still, I hope the story has improved somewhat. And although this story will still remain on hiatus for the moment, I promise, it will be continued as soon as I'm able to!**

**Revised: 20 July, 2005**

_Title: Hidden Memories_

_By: ChaosMagicianGirl (formerly known as BehindColdBlueEyes)_

_Edited by: LazerWulf_

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Yu-Gi-Oh! So, you can sue me, but you won't make a penny out of it! (snickers evilly)The only thing I own is the plot of the story. So, that is © and belongs to me! So, no stealing it from me, because, when I find out, you'll probably regret ever doing it….(sadistic smile)……_

_A note: I posted this chapter earlier, but I posted it up again, after LazerWulf edited it for me. Thanks for the help and for willing to be my beta-reader! You're great!_

_Summary:_

_This story takes place after the battle city finals. At the party to celebrate the Battle City Duelling King a strange occurrence takes place. A chain reaction between all the millennium items in the room results in the rebirth and release of Mana's soul, which has been trapped for thousands of years._

_This story is in her point of view and tells the struggles she will face to adapt to her new life. Her search to find out more about her ancient and mysterious past, to unlock her hidden memories and find out who she really is, and finding love on the way._

_A/N:_

_Hello peepz!_

_I'm back with a new story! This idea has been swimming around in my head lately, and I've finally done something with it. I hope you like the story, and R and R! Because I really hope, some people will like it, or else, I don't think I will continue it._

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**Raindrops splatter against the window I'm sitting in front of. Outside, dark clouds are raging past me, as the blimp I'm on, speeds away from Kaiba Corp Island. Only hours before, the last Battle City Tournament duel between Yugi Motou and Marik Ishtar had taken place at the top of a tower that is now non-existent.**

**Suddenly, a loud thunderclap snaps me out of my realm of thoughts. I jump up when the lightning following after it briefly lights up the room with an eerie gold glow. You can see the fear reflected in my emerald orbs. **

**I get up from my sitting position in front of the window and walk over towards my bed, while the sound of my bare feet padding over the floor can be heard. I lie my head down on my pillow and resume my thinking trial.**

**I can hear music and the sound of laughing and talking people from a few floors below me. It is the celebration party that was held after the Battle City finals were over. It was held to honour the finalist who received the title of duelling king.**

**How could I forget about it? **

**It is the party where my life began or started, I don't know how I should put it. It was in the hall below me, where my soul, which had been imprisoned in a certain card long ago, was set free.**

**I remember it so vividly. **

**How should I not? It has only taken place 2 hours ago.**

**It began after all battle city finalists had boarded the blimp and started the victory party to congratulate the new duelling champion, Yugi Motou. **

**The finalists that attended the party were: Isis Ishtar, Seto Kaiba, Odion, Joey Wheeler, Mai Valentine, Malik Ishtar, Bakura Ryou, and, of course the champ himself. Yugi's friends were also there. Serenity Wheeler, Tea Gardener and Tristan Taylor. Mokuba Kaiba was also in attendance and, unknown to every one else, Shadi was watching from the shadows. **

**Of course, what people did not know, was that a few people carried the renowned Millennium items with them. They were the tools that set my revival into motion. All seven items were gathered in one room. Nobody present in the room, save for Shadi, was aware of this though.**

**Shadi told me, that to few people like him, it is known that texts that were written in ancient times passed, told of the risks the Millennium items represented when they would all gather in one place. **

**There was the risk, that one event, no matter how insignificant, could trigger some kind of process that would result in the activation of all the Millennium item's powers at once. And it would set loose ancient Egyptian shadow magic. **

**That was exactly what happened this particular night. The event that triggered it is known to me, and the others on the blimp, I believe. But why this particular event triggered it will forever remain a mystery, I presume. **

**It was a rematch that took place between two duelling rivals, Yugi Motou, the reincarnation of Nanashi no pharaoh (The pharaoh without name), and Seto Kaiba, the reincarnation of Priest Seth, or so I've been told. **

**It seems I'm not the only one on the blimp who is without his past memories. The nameless pharaoh, who is referred to asYami by his friends, has also no recollections of his past. Somehow it feels good to know, that I'm not alone in this. At least, he knows what it's like. Although we seem to have much in common, like we're both from Ancient Egypt, there are also some differences. He doesn't know his real name. I do. I have a body of my own. He doesn't. Yugi Mutou served as a vessel for Yami's spirit. Or that's how Shadi explained it to me. **

**Now my head is reeling with all this knowledge. How am I supposed to believe in some kind of magic crap, when I don't even remember who I am? I'm so confused….**

**The two fought against each other in a friendly duel, with an outcome that was never expected; me.**

**When Yugi played the card I was trapped in, the Millennium items responded and began to glow all at once. Their combined magic somehow set my imprisoned soul free from the card I was trapped in.**

**Now, one must wonder, how did my soul end up in a card? I asked Shadi. He told me he didn't know. Yeah, right! As if that was so helpful. Yes, I'm trying to be sarcastic here. Did anybody notice?**

**I can only sigh inwardly. **

**I don't know anything. Okay, scratch that, I did know something, but that tiny bit of information wasn't very helpful. And how can I trust anybody in the state I'm in. What if this is some strange and weird nightmare, I'll soon wake up from?**

**But, to put it in simple words, this is how I came to be. **

**I was unconscious and somehow they managed to bring me to this room. **

**I don't know what happened at all. I only have the information given to me by the mysterious stranger named Shadi, who visited me an hour ago.**

**He told me that he had appeared before them and told them who I was; that I was a spirit from ancient Egypt, like Yugi's millennium spirit. **

**He had also pleaded with them to leave me be for now. My revival had come as a huge shock to them all. Even though I have no recollection of the event. **

**Shadi introduced himself to me as the keeper of the millennium ankh and scales. The scales were able to read a persons heart and tell if the person is good or not. The ankh can see if someone speaks the truth, and if you lied, it would or could punish you. **

**Since, I don't know anything, or almost nothing about the customs of the Millennium items, what he told me, didn't make much sense. I just took his word for it. What else was I supposed to say? **

**Shadi came with an important other reason. He gave me two millennium items that had remained unknown of till today, the Millennium earrings and bracelet. He told me I was the one that was destined to wield them, that I had wielded them when I lived in ancient Egypt.**

**(During that part of his "ramble" I only nodded dumbly.)**

**I turn my head around to stare directly at my reflection in the mirror next to me. **

**I study my complexion. I have long brown hair that cascades down my back. My eyes are almond shaped and are a bright emerald green, as the leafs attached to the branches of a three. I'm quite tall, and have a slim, slender body. My skin is a tan complexion. I'm still dressed in the magician's garb that represented me on the card Yugi used to own. **

**As I continue to stare at myself, I can only find a stranger looking right back at me. I don't know who I am or rather who I used to be. **

**I have no memories of my past, or at least I can't seem to remember. My mind is a maze with closed doors, behind which the answers lie that I seek to find out who I am. But, for now, they will remain hidden memories. **

**Shadi told me that I used to be a person living in ancient Egypt and that my name was Mana. I asked him a million questions and pleaded with him to tell me more about my past, but he said to me, that he also did not know anymore than that. **

**The only other thing he could tell me about my secret past was that it was likely that my soul was trapped in a card. The card I was and formerly known as the Dark magician Girl. The only memories I have are those I collected when I was the Dark magician girl and belonged in Yugi's deck. That's how I know the names of some persons that are present in the room below me. The rest was told to me by Shadi. **

**My heart's wish is to find out who I am, because I don't understand why I'm supposed to be here.**

**Was it fate that brought me here? **

**Perhaps I will someday find out, but for now, my past will continue to be shrouded in shadows. **

**For now, I will have to concentrate on what I will do once we arrive in Domino city. **

**I have to find out what to do with my new life lying in front of me.**

**But, I guess, I will face those trials when they arrive and not earlier. **

**I will not rest until I find out at least something about my past or who I used to be. **

**Because, when I look in the mirror now, I only see someone that I don't know...**

**I softly move my fingers over my Millennium bracelet. It is such a beautiful thing, with the little ankhs and hieroglyphs engraved in it.**

**At the same time these items are strangers to me, but on the other hand, they seem so oddly familiar.**

**I believe Shadi is right.**

**These items do hold the key to unlocking some of my past.**

_Well? Hate it? Like it? Let me know if I should continue..._


	2. Dreaming of the past

**Revised: 26 July, 2005**

_Title: Hidden Memories_

_Written by: ChaosMagicianGirl_

_Edited by: LazerWulf_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or its characters. You know the drill yada yada yada..._

_Also, part of the dialogue in this story is taken from Janime! Which means that I don't own them! pouts_

_A/N:_

_I first would like to thank the people who reviewed for my first chapter!_

_LazerWulf: _

_Well, I'll leave the correction of spelling and grammar mistakes to you! That's your department, as my beta reader ;o)_

_Spamtastic: _

_Thanks you like it so far!_

_V son saiyan:_

_Well, here's your update, and yes, someone of her past will definitely make an appearance. I'm giving you a hint. Someone from her past already makes an appearance in this chapter._

_Dark-light39:_

_I feel honoured that you think my story is good! I hope you'll like this chapter and update your ficcie soon too._

_Well, that's all of the thankies!_

_Now, without further ado... On to the story!_

_PS: This chapter is extra long, as to make up for the late updating! Forgive me! (dodges objects that mad readers throw at her) Hey! I've been busy! Can I help it?_

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**Chapter 2:** **Dreaming of the past.**

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_**Mana's room: Mana's POV**_

**I moved my fingers over my Millennium bracelet once more, before moving over to my other item, the Millennium earrings. I lightly traced my fingers over them. They're round in form, hoop-like, and have the unmistakable Eye of Horus symbol present in the middle.**

**While I continue to look at them, millions of unanswered questions continue to stumble around in my head. When I seem to suppress one question, more questions continue to pop up.**

**I wish I could just throw them all out, so I would have some peace at last. Thinking about it is giving me an enormous headache. I groan while rubbing my pounding temples in exasperation.**

**It doesn't help that much, my headache just continues to build in intensity. I groan once more, while removing my hands from my temples and letting them drop down to my side.**

**I clasp both of my hands together and try to block out my thoughts by scanning my environment.**

**I hadn't taken the time to give the room I was in a proper look, as for the last two hours, I was too engrossed in my own thoughts to notice anything around me.**

**The room I'm in is pretty small. It has the one-person bed I'm sitting on at the moment and a small table, or, at least, that's what I think it is. Most of the stuff standing here I've never even seen before.**

**Suddenly the weight of reality kicks in, and I can finally see that the biggest task is not going to be what I first thought it to be, namely to figure out who I am, what my past is and recover my lost or, as Shadi put it, my "Hidden Memories".**

**No, my biggest trial is just ahead of me: to adapt to my new life, to this new and unknown world.**

**If what Shadi says is true, and my soul is more than three thousand years old, then the world as I knew it then will have changed so much...**

**The family and friends I have known are gone, the world I lived in is gone, and my memories are gone. I will have to start all over again. The plain and simple truth is that I'm scared; scared of the world and people that lay beyond this room, and scared for the unknown that I will soon have to face. I feel so vulnerable without my memories. What will I do with my life? Where will I go?**

**Unable to deal with the desperate state I'm in anymore, I raise my fists and angrily begin to punch the pillow lying next to me.**

**For a few minutes, I vent out my frustrations on my 'helpless victim', but I soon get tired. Before I know what's happening, my hands fall down to my side, my head hits the pillow, and I'm soon deep asleep.**

**My mind takes a much needed rest from all my thinking and pondering from the last few hours. The last sentences that leave my lips are mumbled in an incoherent tone "Why is this happening to me? I didn't ask to be brought back. Why can't I remember anything? It isn't fair..." my voice trails of as I succumb to the sweet temptation of sleep and drift of to dream land.**

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_**Meanwhile, at the victory celebration: General POV**_

**It's already twelve O'clock at night, but the party is still going on.**

**Seto Kaiba had left the party shortly after his duel with Yugi, but his brother Mokuba stayed, having the time of his life with Yugi's gang.**

**The music was playing softly in the background and there was one couple that was still on the dance floor, namely Mokuba Kaiba and Serenity Wheeler. Mokuba had asked her to dance a short while ago and she had agreed, much to the frustration of Duke Devlin and Tristan Taylor.**

**The two boys glared at Mokuba as Serenity followed him to the dance floor. At the moment, the two boys were still glaring daggers at the "couple".**

**Tristan and Duke were jealous because they both had feelings for Joey's sister and didn't like the idea that Mokuba stole her away from them. The two of them always flirted with her, but Serenity was oblivious to their advances and clumsy attempts to get together with her. She just considered them friends, nothing more.**

**But she _did_ like Mokuba Kaiba as more then a "friend." She had liked him ever since she first saw him at the docks, where Joey and Tea were taken prisoner and Yugi had to battle his best friend. When she had taken of her bandages and dived after her brother to save him from drowning, she caught a brief glimpse of him and immediately developed a crush at him. And it was the same for Mokuba.**

**Joey Wheeler and Mai Valentine could be found in the middle of the hall, standing at the buffet table. Joey was busy with stuffing his face full of food and making disgusting noises, much to Mai's annoyance, who was clearly disgusted at Joey's 'table manners.'**

"**Joseph Wheeler! Could you please keep your mouth closed when you've got something in there?" Mai yelled at Joey who was trying to talk to Mai and eat at the same moment, reprimanding his table manners severely. "I don't particularly feel the need to see the contents in your mouth!" Mai continued and huffing, turned her head to the side, to avoid getting sick and throw up from the sight she was witnessing.**

"**Bwhorry Bwai," Joey replied while stabbing another sausage with his fork and bringing it to his already overstuffed mouth, "bwhut thwe fwood fwis bwust bwo bwood"**

**While he said that, bits of food and saliva flew from his mouth and, because he was standing close to Mai, landed on her clothes and her face.**

"**GROSS!" Mai exclaimed, getting angry at Joey. "I can't believe this, you just spit all over me!" She screamed in his face. "I don't know what I see in you! You're disgusting!" Mai raged on while taking out a napkin from her pocket and wiping of Joey's drool from her face and clothes, before angry stalking of.**

**Joey swallowed the food down his throat before running after her and yelling "Mai! Wait! I'm sorry! Mai wait!"**

**Mai didn't respond and continued walking, till she reached the ladies room and threw the door shut in his face.**

"**Aw Mai! Please! Open the door!" Joey started while banging with his fists on the door.**

"**No! Now get lost, Joseph!" Mai's angry voice snapped back at him from behind the door.**

**After a few minutes of pleading with Mai to open the door and failing miserably at it, he gave up and with slumped shoulders made his way back to the buffet._ 'She has to come out sooner or later' _he thought.**

**Over in a dark corner at the other side of the room, Yugi was watching the entire scene at the food table, an amused look on his face. After he saw Joey slump back to the food table, he turned his attention back to the discussion at hand.**

**Yugi was sitting on a round table together with the rest of the gang. Seated at the table were Ishizu and Malik Ishtar, Tea Gardner, and Ryou Bakura. Yugi's alter ego, Yami, was there also, although he was listening from inside Yugi's Millennium puzzle.**

**They were discussing the strange event of the revival of Mana.**

**To say the least, they had all been totally surprised by what had happened, and nobody knew what to think of it. They were all very curious and wanted to go see her, but after the mysterious stranger Shadi appeared before them and told them who she was and told them to let her rest for now, they decided to grant his request.**

**That had been nearly two hours ago, and the group was trying to figure out what to do.**

"**What are we going to do when we reach Domino?" Tea's voice perked up. "I mean, what will she do once we reach home? Where will she go?"**

**Suddenly the Millennium item around Yugi's neck started to glow, signalling that Yugi's alter ego Yami was taking over. After a few moments, the glowing stopped and a much taller man now sat at the table.**

**The whole group was startled at Yami's sudden and unannounced appearance in front of them. Most of the time Yami would only show himself when in duels and when Yugi said he would come, which meant that Yami took over from Yugi. **

"**Yami!" Tea and Ryou both exclaimed with surprise evident on their faces.**

"**Pharaoh?" Ishizu and Marik questioned.**

**Yami ignored the questioning looks they were all giving him and turned to say to Tea"Shouldn't you ask Mana those questions?" Yami stated, looking Tea directly in the eyes.**

**The abrupt question given to her by Yami, and the look accompanying it, startled Tea, rendering her unable to reply to the question.**

"**Well I... I... uhm..." she started.**

**Yami cut her off. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. I shouldn't have. It wasn't fair to you." He hesitated for a moment before deciding to continue. "But, it's just... It's like you're talking about her like she's some kind of thing that can't decide for herself! I guess what I'm trying to say is..." he said, turning his head to face everyone present at the table, "that we should ask Mana what she wants. I mean, it _is_ her life, yet we talk about her like we are the ones that should decide what she should do. And right now she's in a room upstairs all by herself, and she doesn't know anything! She doesn't know who she is, where she came from, and, most importantly, she doesn't know where she is. This world is new to her and, while it is true she needs our help, she also has the right to decide for herself what she wants to do with her life once we arrive in Domino. Furthermore, I think she has the right to get some of her questions answered, especially some about her past..." he trailed of while turning to look at Ishizu with an expectant face.**

**Ishizu knew exactly what her pharaoh meant. She smiled at the pharaoh before replying to his unspoken question.**

"**I suppose you would like me to go to her and answer some of her questions, am I correct, Pharaoh?"**

**Malik also understood what the pharaoh meant, and decided to say something as well.**

"**The pharaoh is right, sister. You're probably the only one at this table who has sufficient knowledge of the past to at least answer some of her questions."**

**He was about to say more, but he was stopped when Tea suddenly piped up.**

"**Uhm, am I missing something here? Why would Ishizu be able to answer her questions?"**

**Marik, Ishizu, and Yami blinked and looked up stupidly at Tea for a few moments, while Ryou just sweatdropped at the scene in front of him, an annoyed Tea Gardner and three dumbfounded people.**

**After an awkward few more moments, Ishizu was the first to pull herself together. She chuckled while shaking her head**

"**I'm sorry Tea. We didn't mean to leave you out of the conversation," Ishizu apologized. "What my brother meant was that I've had enough visions from my Millennium Necklace to know a little bit about what happened in Ancient Egypt, where she came from..." Ishizu hesitated for a moment, but carried on nonetheless, while her expression changed from amused to worried in a matter of moments. She folded her hands together in her lap. "Although, I doubt that I can tell her anything that Shadi hasn't already told her." She finished. **

"**I see..." said Tea, not sure what to say exactly.**

"**Poor Mana... She didn't ask for all of this," Ryou suddenly spoke up, diverting the attention of the group onto him.**

**It was surprising to hear him speak, because Ryou was normally the quiet and soft spoken one of the group. He was more of a listener then a talker.**

"**Yes, poor Mana indeed..." Tea emphasized with Ryou.**

**Yami turned around and began to stare out of the window next to him. He immersed himself deep in thought and blocked out the voices of the others in the process. He was thinking about Mana. He was very worried about her and what would become of her.**

**Suddenly Yugi's voice came out of nowhere and disturbed Yami in his current train of thoughts.**

**/So, Yami, care to tell me why you just took over without letting me know first/the smaller boy questioned Yami, appearing behind him in spirit form.**

**Yami turned around to look at his Hikari, and noticed that annoyance was clearly written all over his face, an indication that he wasn't thrilled at all with his darker half's actions.**

**Yami sighed and apologized.**

**I'm sorry, Aibou, I didn't mean to upset you. I know I shouldn't have done that... It's just..." he trailed of at the last part " I... never mind what I said, Yugi." he finished, before turning his face away from Yugi to stare at the wall.**

**Yugi turned from annoyance to worry in a second when he saw the distraught look on Yami's face. He heaved a huge sigh, before walking over to where Yami was standing and placing a reassuring ghost hand on his shoulder.**

**/It's alright, Yami. It doesn't matter./ Yugi replied to Yami while squeezing his shoulder gently. /You're worried about her, aren't you/ Yugi asked him, although it sounded more like a statement, then a question.**

**I am, Aibou... I am." Yami answered truthfully.**

**Meanwhile, Ishizu had noticed that Yami's attention had diverted from what the group had been discussing at the moment. Seeing the crestfallen and absent look on Yami's face, she got a little worried.**

'**_What is he thinking about?'_ Ishizu wondered.**

**The rest of the group had also noticed that Yami's thoughts were somewhere else.**

**Tea got up from her seat and walked around the table over to Yami, where she yelled into his ear "Hey! Earth to Yami! You still with us?"**

**Yami, still talking with Yugi through their mind link, was rudely snapped back into the real world.**

**He glared at Tea, while rubbing his ears, which were throbbing from the sounds of her yelling.**

"**Dang, Tea! You didn't have to yell that hard, especially not directly in my ear!" Yami snapped at her.**

"**Well, _excuse_ me, mister. You were the one that decided to buy a ticket to daydream land. I was just the girl that was assigned to do your wake-up call." Tea retorted at him with a smile on her face and her eyes sparkling with amusement.**

"**For your information I wasn't daydreaming, I was talking with Yugi through or mind-link." Yami replied back annoyed, not at all finding Tea's comment funny.**

**Marik, Ishizu and Ryou just chuckled at Tea's and Yami's verbal exchange. **

"**Really? It didn't look all that different to me. From an outsider's point of view you would be considered daydreaming, Yami" Tea said, while starting to laugh.**

"**Grr... stop laughing!" Yami growled at her, which only caused Tea to laugh even harder, with the other's following shortly behind her.**

**Yami ,going from annoyed to angry in seconds, huffed and turned around so that the other's got a good view of his back.**

"**Oh, come on, Yami. Don't be such a baby." Ryou drawled in his British accent, while trying to stifle his laughter.**

"**Humph," was the only reply the group received from him.**

**After a few minutes the group recovered from their laughing fit and turned serious again.**

**Ishizu was the first to speak, after she had taken a glance at the clock to her right.**

"**Well, it's getting awfully late. I believe we should be turning in, don't you think, brother?" Ishizu started, while looking over to her younger sibling. "Besides, I still need to visit Mana," she finished, meeting the eyes of the rest of the group, who were, by now, focused on her.**

**When Mana's name was mentioned, Yami immediately perked up, his earlier annoyance over Tea's antics already forgotten.**

"**Yes, I think we should all be turning in. It's been a long and tiring day for everybody." Yami calmly stated. **

**Everybody at the table agreed. They all got up from their seats and made their way over to their own rooms.**

**While the group started walking the Millennium puzzle started to glow once again, this time with Yugi appearing.**

"**Hey guys!" he piped up. "Well, I guess I'll see you guys in the morning. I'm going to see what the others are doing and try to persuade Joey to get his head out of the food dish he's currently stuck in." he chuckled, looking over to where Joey was still busy stuffing his face.**

"**Yeah, you do that Yugi," Tea said, releasing a chuckle of her own at Yugi's comment when she turned her head to see where Yugi was staring.**

"**Goodnight, Pharaoh," the Ishtar duo said as they walked away.**

"**Good night, Yugi." said Ryou, following after Ishizu and Malik. **

**As Tea left, she gave Yugi a hug and said, "See you in the morning Yugi and don't forget to say bye to Tristan, Joey and the rest of the gang for me will you?"**

"**Sure Tea, no problem." Yugi chirped back happily while returning his friend's embrace.**

**Tea released Yugi and with one last wave of her hand hurriedly walked after Ryou who had just left the room.**

**Yugi waved back and turned around to head to the buffet table. He thought Joey had spent enough time on his own to raid the entire buffet table. Yugi had to get him away from there, before there was no food left for the rest of the guest who might be hungry. Like him for instance. **

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_**Mana's dream: Mana's POV**_

**Lying on the ground, I slowly came to myself as I opened my eyes and squinted at the lack of light. I struggled to sit up and let my eyes adjust to the darkness. I scanned my surroundings, and found that I was in some sort of dark cave or tomb.**

'**_Where the heck am I? This isn't my room!'_ I thought, franticly looking around for an exit.**

**Suddenly I hear noises coming from far off. At least, I think I hear something.**

**I carefully get up from the cold floor, massaging my sore back and squinting my eyes to try to adjust to the darkness.**

**I move slowly and put my hands in front of me to at least get some clue as to how big the room I'm in is. I risk a few steps and, fortunately, my hands touch the cool surface of a wall. I carefully move alongside it towards the source of the noises.**

**After a few minutes, I feel the wind sweeping my hair up into my face. I shiver at its coldness. There's a draft, which means I'm not far from the exit. The closer I get to the door, the clearer the source of the voices becomes.**

**Finally I see the light at the end of the long tunnel and, relieved, I run all the way over there, but I come to a halt a few meters in front of the exit.**

**I press my back up against the wall and shuffle over to the door and peek around the corner, looking for the source of the voices.**

**There are two men: one is very tall and dressed in some kind of Egyptian garb, and the other has snow white hair and is adorning some kind of cloak. I can't really see anything more of them, as their bodies and faces are shrouded in shadows, their features hidden from me. Making it unable to determine who they are or what they look like. **

**Though I can't see them, I can hear them clearly, as their voices echo through the chamber.**

"**I've been waiting for you, Bakura!" the tallest of them spoke up.**

"**How delightful! Well, are you going to give me your Millennium Ring?" the white haired man replied.**

'**_The Millennium Ring? Doesn't that belong to the white haired guy? He looks a bit like Ryou.'_ Mana wondered to herself confused. _'Who the heck are these two?'_**

"**I will never give my Millennium ring to the likes of you! You will not leave this place alive!" the tall man replied to Bakura.**

**Bakura laughed maniacally at the man before saying "Hahahah! Is that a threat I hear? From a mere spell teacher like yourself?"**

"**I will say it again. You will not leave this place alive, Bakura! I will use all of my power in this fight. I will summon my real Ka. This is the place where spellcasters have polished their skills from generation to generation! This place will become your grave, Bakura the thief king!" The echo of the tall man's shrill voice pounded against the walls of the room.**

**Questions flooded through my brain to which I didn't have an answer, like _'What the heck is Ka?'_ Nonetheless, I continued to listen to the conversation between the two men.**

"**Are you sure that's what you think will be the outcome? I summon thee, Diabound!" Bakura yelled his voice rising with his last sentence.**

**Suddenly, a beast appeared out of the shadows. From the waist up, it was human, but, instead of legs, it had a long, scaly body, with a serpent's head at the end.**

**Once the beast had emerged I almost cried out in surprise. I couldn't believe it! It was a duel monster, or at least I think it was.**

**The tall man also cried out in surprise when he saw the creature.**

"**What? Diabound's form has changed?"**

"**When my hatred increases, my Ka, Diabound, evolves," Bakura replied, smirking triumphantly at the taller man in front of him.**

"**Well then, I will also release my Ka. I summon Illusive Magician!"**

**This time, a man with a wizard's staff appeared. His clothes were similar to the ones I had on, but they were purple. He had no face, save for two glowing blue objects where the eyes would normally be.**

"**Ho ho! Your Ka also seems to be stronger than before. But no matter, it is still no match for Diabound!"**

"**We will see, Bakura!"**

"**Enough talk!"**

"**Diaha!" 1 The pair said, initiating the duel.**

**After the two men had said that, the world suddenly started to spin in front of my eyes. I became dizzy and fell into a pool of swirling colours. I saw all kinds of blurry images flowing past me, before I fell into an infinite black abyss.**

**I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping that someone would hear me.**

**I woke up with a start, drenched in cold sweat.**

**A voice next to me spoke.**

"**Finally, I thought you were never going to wake up! I was walking down the hall when I heard you screaming, and I decided to check up on you. You had me really worried there for a second. Are you alright? That must have been some nightmare."**

**I looked around and tried to find the source of the voice talking to me. My eyes fell on a woman sitting next to me. She had ebony hair with a tan complexion and crystal clear blue eyes, which were clearly showing worry in them.**

**I tried to sit up and recognize the unknown woman at my bed side but failing miserably at both tasks. I was still too disoriented, and I just couldn't seem to connect the person's face with a name.**

**I cleared my throat before I decided to speak, and replied back with a raspy and hoarse voice with an unbelievable edge behind it.**

"**It was only a dream?"**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**1. Diahaduel**

_A/N:_

_Whew, that's another chapter done. Yeah, I know...it's an evil cliff hanger! So, sue me! Muwhahahaha._

_P_

_Poor Tristan and Duke... smiles evilly But, I just like the prospect of Serenity and Mokuba together better. They make such a kawaii couple! And I really don't like the Tristan/Serenity or Duke/Serenity pairing. No offence to the people that do like it, though. I'm not going to bash or flame, but I just don't like them and that's my opinion. And it's my story, so it's my rules. Heh heh._

_Oh yeah, I have an announcement. I have a new website dedicated to the Dark Magician Girl/Mana. I also started my own DMG/Mana fan club. So, if you like her, I hope you'll join! You can find the link in my bio!_

_Catch ya later!_

_Oh, yeah, and REVIEW!_

_ChaosMagicianGirl, signing out!_

–– _- –– - –– - –– - –– - –– - –– -_

_B/N (Beta-Reader's Notes):_

_Woo Hoo! Done with the editing!_

_This one was more of a challenge than normal. You readers should be grateful that I'm beta-reading. No offence meant to CMG, I know you try, but there are still a lot of subtle things in the English language that you have yet to learn. Your overall English is very good, though._

_The dialogue between Bakura and ...( His name won't be revealed till later in the story) is adapted from the translations provided by Janime. Thank you, Janime._

_I, too, am a fan of Mokuba/Serenity. If you have, or know of, a decent Mokuba/Serenity fic, I'd like to read it. Leave the title/author in a review. If you like this couple, be sure to check out my fic, "The Return of the Priest." It will have subtle hints of Mokuba/Serenity, and its sequel will be completely focused on them._

_Phila-Del-Phia!_

_LazerWulf _


	3. Unsettling gaze

_Title: Hidden Memories_

_Written by: ChaosMagicianGirl_

_Disclaimer: I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh : huggles Mana plushie protectively:_

"….." spoken lines

"…" _thoughts._

_A/N:_

_Well, uhm, what's there to say……I know it's been months since I last updated this fic, but I just had no inspiration. But, now I'm back on track! So, thanks to the reviewers and here is the new chapter for Hidden Memories. Finally!_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**_Chapter three: Blazing emerald meets artic sapphire blue._**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**After a few moments my blurry vision cleared up somewhat. I could now clearly distinguish the woman at my bed side.**

**Suddenly, something hit me like a brick stone on the head. This woman had a striking resemblance to….**

**Shaking my head, I dismissed these vague thoughts. I didn't even know this woman.**

**The "unknown woman" next to me spoke up again, put a hand on my shoulder, while asking me the same question again.**

"**Hey, I asked you if you're alright."**

**There was more urgency in her voice this time. No doubt, my strange behaviour from before was the cause of that.**

**Being snapped out of my stupor, I coughed once to clear my dry throat, before finally replying to her question.**

" **Uhm, yeah, I'm alright. Thanks for your concern, but it's not needed." I replied in a polite manner.**

**She only smiled at me.**

"**No need to be so polite. You don't need to address me as your superior or anything, Mana…" She stopped speaking for a mere moment when my name rolled of off her tongue, before she continued. "You don't mind me calling you Mana, do you?"**

**Surprised that she knew my name, I contemplated on her words for a short while.**

**I didn't know this woman that was a fact. But, somehow, I just felt I could trust her. Call it intuition if you will. I just knew she didn't mean any harm.**

**Brushing of my polite manner, I responded in a slight off- hand manner "I don't mind, if you don't mind me calling you by your name."**

**Ishizu, not expecting such a response, only chuckled.**

**Her eyes sparkling with mirth she was about to answer my question, when I suddenly heard a strange voice in my head. It passed through my mind, like a soft gust of wind, echoing against the walls of my consciousness. It was gone as soon as it had come. It only left me with two words imprinted firmly into my memory.**

"**My name is…." Ishizu started.**

" **Ishizu Ishtar…." I finished.**

**This statement of mine earned me a wide eyed stare from Ishizu.**

"**How do you know my name?" she asked me, startled and confused about the whole matter.**

"**I just do…" I answered in a kind of vague way.**

**Ishizu, having overcome her initial shock by now, suggested "Perhaps, you're a telepath, and you're just not aware of it. Or did Shadi tell you about me?"**

"**Maybe…" I replied "I don't know."**

**The fact was: I just felt plain creepy knowing that I knew her name, without her having told me whatsoever. And no, Shadi didn't give me an appearance description of the people that were on board. So, I couldn't have possibly known….**

**Wait. Did this strange phenomenon have something to do with my millennium items?**

**Ishizu only blinked a few times with her eyes stupidly at my strange response.**

**I used that moment of confusion to take a peek at my items.**

'**_Can I read someone's mind with one of these objects?_' I asked myself.**

"**From polite, to cheerful, to enigmatic in a matter of minutes." Ishizu stated "You must be an individual full of surprises."**

"**I guess I am…" I said, feeling kind of awkward, twirling a strand of my hair around my finger without even noticing it.**

**This was probably a bad habit of mine, I used, when I felt nervous in certain situations.**

**Ishizu started laughing. I laughed along.**

**With that, the ice between the two of us was broken.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_**Seto's quarters: Seto's point of view.**_

**Sitting behind my desk, I was furiously typing away on the keyboard of my laptop. I had to catch up on a lot of work. I missed a lot of work while participating and hosting the Battle city tournament. And now I'll have to work over hours to get this huge workload of off my shoulders again.**

**Sometimes, okay, scratch sometimes, I wished I didn't have this huge responsibility on my shoulders. I was sometimes so fed up with the fact, that because I had to lead my company, I hardly had any time to myself, or time to spend with my little brother for that matter.**

**That was however none of the things that preoccupied my mind at the time being. My thoughts were focussed on something else, or rather someone else.**

**Releasing an annoyed sigh, I slammed my laptop shut.**

' **_Dammit, I can't work like this.'_ I thought.**

**I rested my left hand on my desk, while using my right hand to massage my pounding temples in exasperation.**

**I didn't believe in magic, nor did I believe in the fairy tale crap that Yugi pushed me into believing time and time again. At that time, I thought it was a load of bull shit.**

**But after tonight I couldn't deny what I had witnessed anymore….**

**Tonight's events really made me rethink my opinions on the ancient Egyptian crap department.**

**I still don't believe in faith or destiny however. You make your own destiny; it is not shaped for you. That's why I let the past for what it was, the past. Past actions and events couldn't be changed even if you wanted to. I took full responsibility for the mistakes I had made them, and faced the problems they presented, even till today.**

**I couldn't deny what I saw, experienced today, though. Everything I once held a solid believe in was shattered in a matter of minutes. I was forced to believe and accept that there are indeed things that defy logic.**

"**This feels so surreal, that it must be some kind of stupid joke."**

**I knew however that it was not a joke.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**_Mana's room: Mana's point of view…_**

**After the awkward first encounter I told Ishizu everything about the nightmare. Ishizu told me that she had come to see me, to answer some questions that I had about my past. Although she wouldn't be able to tell me much. As much as I wanted to know something, anything about my past, I just knew that today had been too much to handle for me.**

**I was so tired that I fell asleep almost immediately after she had left, but I forced myself to remain awake. We had agreed that as soon as we would arrive in Domino she would make arrangements for us to meet at the museum. I looked at her strangely, when I first heard the word museum. I didn't have a clue what she was talking about. **

**She apologised. She had forgotten that everything in this world was still strange and new for me. But, anyway, I agreed to come to the museum sometime. So, she could tell me in private between the two of us some more about my past. She told me she also had something interesting there, that I would probably like to see. She believed it had a direct link to my past somehow. My curiosity was picked as soon as she said that. I can't wait to see what she has in store for me.**

**Although, I'm afraid of what tomorrow will bring, when we arrive in Domino City ( Which is by the way one of the most weirdest names I ever heard of) I'm still eager to see what the world is like beyond the walls of this…uhm flying object they call blimp?**

**I still can't believe that we are actually flying, in the air?**

**I had to convince myself this was true when Ishizu told me.**

**I walked over to the window and looked out of it.**

**And sure enough, we were "flying". I let out a surprised squeak, and landed on my bottom. Ishizu was laughing so hard, I thought she would choke from lack of air. I, on the other hand, didn't find the matter very amusing, unlike her.**

**Anyway, I will have to face the world beyond the walls of this room tomorrow, and I will be brave, however difficult it will be for me to adapt and accept it.**

**Before she left, Ishizu told me that tomorrow morning Tea Gardener would visit me. She would bring some clothes for me to change into, which were more "appropriate" for this time arc. She thought I would draw too much attention with the garb I'm still adorning now. I didn't really like the prospect of dealing with yet another complete stranger, but she assured me by saying that Tea is a very kind, and trustworthy girl. **

**What was another strange thing during our encounter, though, was another fact besides the fact that I could somehow read minds? **

**Ishizu was the wielder of a millennium item too. She was the wielder of the Millennium tauk. She could predict the future and look into the past. That's what she had tried doing with me. But, somehow it didn't work. I had a sneaky suspicion that it had something to do with the millennium items that I carried…**

**So, now, I'll have to see what tomorrow has in store for me. And with that thought in mind, I succumbed to the temptation of sleep…..**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_**The next morning…..**_

**Rapping on the door woke me up from my slumber. Well, almost. I lazily opened one of my eyes somewhat to take a peek at the door. It was too dark in my room to see anything though. And since I was too lazy to get out of my bed, to open the door and see who it was, I turned onto my side, let out a yawn, closed my eyes again, and tried going back to sleep.**

**But, unfortunately, the person standing behind the door was not going to leave me be, until I opened the door for him or her.**

**Groggily, I tried to sit, half opening my eyes. I put up my hands to my eyes, trying to rub the sleep out of them. My mind was still sleeping, while my body was awake by now. I was jerked back into the land of the living by the light, bright voice of a girl standing behind my door.**

" **Mana, this is Tea. Are you awake? I came by on Ishizu's request."**

"**Huh?" was my only reply, when suddenly it got trough to me?**

'_**shit!'**_

"**Oh, sorry!" I blurted out, while scrambling out of my bed. My clothes were in disarray and my hair looked totally dishevelled when I looked into the mirror, walking over to the door.**

"**I'm coming!" I yelled.**

**Opening the door to my quarters, I came face to face with a smiling girl of about 1 meter 65 tall, dark-brown hair and sparkling sky-blue eyes. She was quite pretty, and I guessed she was about the same age as me?**

**I looked at her stupidly for a few moments, not knowing what to say exactly.**

"**Hi, I'm Tea." she decided to start. "I imagine you're pretty confused about things right now, so I'll understand if you want me to come back later." she said, seeming to understand why I was acting this way.**

"**No, its okay, you can come in. Ishizu told me you would come." I said, inviting her in, by stepping to the side.**

"**Okay then." Tea replied.**

**When I had closed the door behind me, I watched Tea set down some kind of bag on the floor, made of a material I didn't know.**

**Overcoming my initial awkwardness, my natural curiosity took over.**

"**What's that thing you're carrying?" I blurted out suddenly.**

"**Oh, you mean this?" she said, turning around and motioning towards the plastic shopping bag. "It's called a shopping bag."**

"**But, what kind of material is it made of?"**

"**Plastic." Tea answered**

"**Plastic?" I muttered back, while pulling of a very weird face that made Tea burst out in laughing.**

"**Never mind!" Tea said, her eyes sparkling with mirth." It's the inside of the bag that counts!" She winked at me. **

**With that said, she grabbed the bag, and spilled the contents in it on the bed.**

"**Let's start with picking out some clothes for you to wear. We will have breakfast shortly and after that it won't be long until we reach Domino. So, come on!"**

**I walked over to the bed, while eyeing the strange so-called "clothes" that lay spread out on the bed.**

"**Okay, let's start…."**

**After about an hour we were done with picking out clothes for me to wear. I had chosen to wear baggy black pants with yellow zippers at the front, yellow lining running down the sides and a black, sleeveless shirt with in emerald letters Bad girl printed on the front ( Or that's what Tea told me, I couldn't and still can't understand the words on it.) **

**I didn't really care. Truth be told, I thought I looked totally ridiculous, although Tea told me a hundred times I looked absolutely stunning.**

'**_Yeah, right!'_ I thought to myself while walking down the hallway to the main hall of the blimp. **

**We had been told at breakfast to gather there as soon as we could, since we would be arriving in Domino anytime now.**

**I was glad I was alone for a few moments longer. I felt so awkward at breakfast. Everybody was trying to make conversation with me, to get me out of my shell so to speak. **

**Two boys of Yugi's gang were constantly ogling me, which almost made me barf. I believe they were called Tristan and Duke? Really, I didn't care either way. They were so annoying! They snuck glances at me when they thought I wasn't looking. I remained rather quiet at breakfast, making shallow conversation with Tea, Ishizu and Serenity; a nice girl I met just then. She was rather shy, but very kind and sweet. I had a feeling she understood what I was going through. And she didn't mind the fact that I really didn't say much at breakfast. She just smiled at me and I smiled right back at her.**

**What was the most unnerving of the entire breakfast ordeal, though, was the fact that a small boy, I believe he is called Yugi was looking at me in a strange way. And the thing was, it looked like he recognised me from somewhere. And I had a feeling in my gut that I knew him too, a long time ago…..**

**The man, who had hosted the tournament, was eating breakfast at another table together with a cute little raven haired boy called Mokuba. Seto Kaiba, who was his older brother, was looking at me with his intense sapphire blue eyes, boring holes through me or at least trying to. **

**His stares really unnerved me. I felt really uncomfortable under his penetrating gaze. A gaze that looked like it had been designed to dissect a person layer by layer.**

**I shuddered when I thought about it again.**

**The fact that he was extremely handsome meant my downfall when I decided to confront him.**

**((Flashback))**

"**Would you mind telling me why you keep staring at me?" I demanded to know, stopping right in front of his table.**

**I did understand that it might be weird and awkward for him that a girl from the past was suddenly revived by magic in front of his very unbelieving eyes. But that still gave him no valid reason to stare at my, trying to analyse my behaviour, my every movement, determining if I was some kind of freak of nature. Which I'm not, so I decided to confront him. **

**I was annoyed to say the least and he decided to test my patience further by just flat out ignoring me.**

"**Hello, I'm talking to you!"**

"**Big brother, Mana asked you something!" Mokuba said to Seto, a frown appearing on his face, when he noticed his brother was ignoring her. **

"**Who's Mana, Mokuba?" Seto replied calmly, still ignoring me, sipping on his cup of coffee.**

**By now I was fuming.**

"**That would be me!" I snapped at him." And I'm standing right here, you pompous ass!"**

" **Seto!" started Mokuba, making gestures with his hands, clearly aggravated with his brother's behaviour towards the girl. " Stop acting as if she doesn't exist!"**

"**Fine…." Seto admitted reluctantly.**

**He turned towards me, his cold ice-like eyes boring into mine.**

"**What do you want?" he asked coldly.**

"**What DO I WANT?" I all but screamed into his face "is for you to stop staring at me!"**

**He raised a slender chocolate eye-brow at my statement.**

"**And are you so sure that it isn't the other way around?"**

"**What do you mean?" I asked, dreading the possible answer, confusion flashing through my eyes for a brief moment. **

"**That _you_ were staring at me" he finished with a smug smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.**

**For a moment I didn't understand what he was saying. But then it got through to me.**

"**Why you!" I said, turning beet-red. "Perverted son of a bitch!"**

"**Is that the best you can do?" he replied, while emphasising he was bored by mock yawning.**

"**Oh, shut your yap!" was the only thing I could come up with, before stalking off angry to my table.**

**((End of flashback))**

**That was so humiliating!**

**I bowed my head in shame, when I thought back to this. My dark-brown bangs falling over my eyes, as I continued walking.**

**When I arrived at the entrance hall of the blimp, I saw that everybody had already gathered there.**

**Suddenly, I didn't know what I would do, once we came of the blimp.**

"**_Where will I go?"_ I thought numbly to myself, oblivious to anything else.**

"**Hey, Mana! " Tea was calling out to me, waving her hands in the air. "Over here!" **

**I walked over to her and the other two girls; Serenity and Ishizu.**

**I greeted them with a curt nod, nothing more. I didn't really feel like dealing with anyone right now.**

"**We and the guys were discussing something before you came." Tea opened the conversation.**

"**Oh?" I said, feigning interest.**

"**Well, we were discussing with whom you could stay, since you don't have anywhere else to go." Tea said in a sympatic voice. The others nodded at that.**

"**Well, I've been thinking about that too…." I replied.**

"**We think that…" Tea continued, but was interrupted by a cool and smooth voice saying; "She will stay at the Kaiba mansion."**

**It was Seto Kaiba.**

**I whirled around, recognising the voice immediately.**

"**And who said…..I wanted to stay at your place?" I snapped at him, in a voice filled with loathing.**

**Our first encounter was still fresh in my mind.**

**A boy with blond hair, called Joey stepped forward.**

"**Yeah, who said she will stay at your place, moneybags? Last time, I checked, she isn't your property.**

"**Shut up, mutt. I wasn't talking to you."**

"**Why you!" Joey sputtered, charging at Kaiba, being restrained as was usual the case by Tristan and Duke.**

**He turned to Yugi.**

"**Look Yugi, none of you have to the room or recourses to accommodate her. I do." stated Kaiba.**

"**My brother's right, Yugi." Mokuba spoke up "We have plenty of room in our mansion. She could have her own quarters assigned to her, and we have the money to provide for her."**

"**Well, I guess you and your brother have a point there, Mokuba." Yugi reluctantly admitted.**

**His other half, Yami, wasn't too pleased with the turn of events, he could feel that much.**

"**Okay, then that's settled. She will be staying at our mansion."**

"**Hey! Don't I get a say in this?" I demanded. I had been quiet until now, waiting my turn.**

'**_How dare he? Stuck-up prick!'_**

"**No." was his simple reply when he turned to me.**

**We locked gazes for a few moments.**

**Blazing forest green meeting cold sapphire blue eyes. We both glared daggers at each other.**

**The contact between our eyes was brief however, as he suddenly turned, and walked away.**

"**Let's go, Mokuba." He said to his little brother who followed him reluctantly.**

**He gave me a small smile, before running after his brother.**

**I couldn't help but smile back, despite my anger.**

**For that brief moment in time, however, I swear the non verbal exchange between the two of us felt like a dejavu to me…….**

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_A/N:_

_Leave a review if you wish! _

_CMG, signing out!_


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